Icelandic authorities have allowed foreign nationals to freely enter the country from March 18 if they are vaccinated against coronavirus with drugs approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). This was announced on Tuesday, March 16, by the press service of the Ministry of Health of the Republic.
According to the statement, the changed requirements allow foreigners vaccinated with EMA-certified drugs not to comply with special restrictive measures when entering Iceland, such as quarantine and mandatory testing for coronavirus.
Previously, these conditions were only valid for citizens of the European Union or member states of the European Economic Area (EEA).
In addition, citizens who have provided evidence of a previous coronavirus infection are allowed to freely enter the country. The documentation confirming the transferred infection must meet the requirements of the Ministry of Health of the Republic, the press service notes.
“The world has gone through a lot in the past 12 months, and we all look forward to a slow and safe return to normalcy. This also includes renewable travel opportunities, which are important for culture, trade and entrepreneurship. The decision to apply privileges at the borders for vaccinated persons in non-EU or EEA countries is a logical continuation of our current policy, ”Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir quoted on the official website of the Ministry of Health of the Republic.
Iceland’s chief epidemiologist, Torolfur Gudnason, believes that the risk of contracting coronavirus from people who have been vaccinated or have had previous infection is extremely low.
“When people are protected from the same disease with the same vaccines produced by the same companies, there is no medical reason to differentiate based on where the vaccine is given,” the agency quoted the epidemiologist as saying.
On March 16, the conditions for accepting tourists from Russia were announced in Greece. Russian tourists entering the territory of Greece will need a negative test for coronavirus, a certificate of vaccination or the presence of antibodies to infection in the blood.
On March 16, China announced the conditions for facilitating the entry of foreigners into the country. It was reported that China will facilitate entry into the country for foreigners vaccinated with the Chinese coronavirus vaccine and arriving via Hong Kong.
On March 11, it became known that the Icelandic government, for precautionary reasons, has decided to suspend the use of the drug by AstraZeneca to vaccinate the population against coronavirus infection.